Beached Whales Have Gone To Sea

No Sightings Reported

July 27, 1986|United Press International

MARCO ISLAND -- The Florida Marine Patrol said Saturday there were no new sightings of beached whales such as the ones which stranded themselves Wednesday, but biologists said there was still a chance for more trouble.

Among the pod of whales that beached at Marco Island earlier in the week, seven died and 39 were turned back into the water.

The Florida Marine Patrol said there have been no more problems involving whales on the state`s west coast.

``We`ll keep looking for them and if they stay out for a week or two, they should be out of danger,`` said Mike Walsh, a veterinarian at Sea World near Orlando.

``If they beach again, their chances for survival drop,`` Walsh said.

Marine Patrolman Alan Marsden said there had been several false alarms regarding more beached whales, but an air search did not reveal any problems.

He said one of the false alarms was a whale which had died earlier and had floated back onto the beach from the Gulf of Mexico where it had been towed.

The whales, ranging from 300-pound youngsters to 1,600-pound adults, were first spotted at Marco Island Wednesday night.

Dozens of rescuers in boats pushed and pulled the surviving mammals out to sea.

Sea World spokesman said the dead whales also were taken out to sea after tissue samples were taken and initial necropsies were made.

Walsh said all of the dead whales were adults, some of them as old as 30 years. Two were male, and five were female. He said one of the females was pregnant.

He said the preliminary examinations did not reveal the reason for the beachings.

``We saw that they had empty stomachs, as if they hadn`t eaten in a few days,`` Walsh said.